Ten Brussels communes against Belgian state in the legal action on overflights

Ten Brussels communes have joined in an action to suspend noise pollution in the Brussels-Capital region against the federal state, for violating noise level standards linked to the activities of Brussels Airport at Zaventem.

The comunes are Oudergem, Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Etterbeek, Ixelles, Jette, Schaerbeek, the City of Brussels, Watermael-Boitsfort, Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe and Sint-Pieters-Woluwe. The parties involved have been indicated to L'Echo by the department of the Brussels Minister for the Environment, Céline Frémault.

The action by the Brussels region was commenced in June this year, a year after an initial state judgment to implement adjustments in overflights above the Brussels Canal Route, that of the Brussels Ring Road and the axis of Runway 01 in the south-east of Brussels.

Since June, ten Brussels communes have joined in this new action by the region.

An internal memo to the Brussels government shows the rate of infringement to be reaching 55% to 64% within the Brussels Canal area. Night flights going over the sound level metre of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe are recording more than 90% of offences being committed.

The Brussels memo laments, “The state has not implemented any practical measure to stop these infringements in the short term, or even to reduce them.”

The Federal Minister for Mobility, François Bellot, repeats that an impact assessment study of the airport’s activities has been commissioned.